Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a privacy screen, and more particularly, to an arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly having a structural configuration which, among other things, allows a user to arcuately displace a privacy screen with substantial ease, safety, and convenience.
Partitions and/or dividing panels have been known in the art for several years. Furthermore, partitions and/or dividing panels for use as office furniture have likewise been known in the art. While such conventional partitions and/or dividing panels do appear to provide a means for creating privacy by partitioning and/or dividing space, their configurations remain non-desirous and/or problematic inasmuch as, to Applicant""s knowledge, none are conducive to arcuate displacement with substantial ease, safety, and convenience. Among other reasons, their direction of displacement appears to be linear which requires the user to controllably actuate and/or direct arcuate displacement of the partition when an arcuate path is desired around, for example, the user or user""s work station. Furthermore, conventional partitions and/or dividing panels appear to be heavy and/or difficult to slide on a variety of floor coverings.
A second problem associated with conventional partitions and/or dividing panels relates to their safety. Inasmuch as conventional partitions and/or dividing panels are substantially linear and upright by design, an irregular or unexpected force may alter the substantially upright configuration of the partition or dividing panel. Moreover, the configuration of the wheels, or, for example, the casters often used, typically protrude well beyond the base of the partition or dividing panel, thereby producing both a safety hazard for those walking by as well as an inconvenient, bulky shape for storage or overlapping of two or more conventional partitions and/or dividing panels.
In addition, conventional partitions and/or dividing panels may not be convenient for a plurality reasons. First, their structures are not favorable for inexpensive cleaning or replacement of a section of the partition or panel. Second, configurations of such conventional partitions and/or dividing panels may require many components such as handles, wheels, or attachments, for example, which do not enable users to effectively nest them together for storage or for an extension of the desired area of privacy.
It is therefore an object of the present invention, to provide an arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly which, among other things, remedies the aforementioned detriments and/or complications associated with the use of the above-identified devices.
The present invention is directed to an arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly comprising: (a) a frame sub-assembly having an internal aperture contained therein, wherein at least a portion of the internal aperture is covered with a privacy screen; and (b) at least two ground engaging wheels associated with the frame sub-assembly, wherein the at least two ground engaging wheels controllably direct displacement of the privacy screen in an arcuate path of travel.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the at least two ground engaging wheels are configured in a fixed position.
In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, one of the at least two ground engaging wheels is fixed in a substantially parallel position relative to a first end of a first substantially horizontal frame member and a second ground engaging wheel is fixed in a substantially parallel position relative to a second end of the first substantially horizontal frame member.
Preferably, the at least two ground engaging wheels are configured substantially inline relative to the first substantially horizontal frame member.
In accordance with the present invention, the arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly further comprises means for biasing the arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly in a substantially upright configuration.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly further comprises at least one handle associated with both a first substantially vertical frame member and a second substantially vertical frame member. In this embodiment, the at least one handle may be cambered to, in turn, form an ogive with the first substantially horizontal frame member when viewed from a y-axis of the same.
In yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly further comprises at least one stabilizing member associated with the first substantially horizontal frame member and the first substantially vertical frame member.
The present invention is further directed to an arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly comprising: (a) a frame sub-assembly having an internal aperture contained therein, wherein at least a portion of the internal aperture is covered with a privacy screen; (b) at least two ground engaging wheels associated with the frame sub-assembly, wherein one of the at least two ground engaging wheels is fixed in a substantially parallel position relative to a first end of a first substantially horizontal frame member and a second ground engaging wheel is fixed in a substantially parallel position relative to a second end of the first substantially horizontal frame member; (c) at least one handle associated with both a first substantially vertical frame member and a second substantially vertical frame member; and (d) at least one stabilizing member associated with the first substantially horizontal frame member and the first substantially vertical frame member.
The present invention is also directed to an arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly comprising: (a) a frame sub-assembly, wherein the frame sub-assembly includes first and second substantially vertical frame members and first and second substantially horizontal frame members, wherein both of the first and second substantially horizontal frame members are cambered, and wherein the first and second substantially vertical frame members and the first and second substantially horizontal frame members collectively define an internal aperture, wherein at least a portion of the internal aperture is covered with a privacy screen; and (b) at least two ground engaging wheels associated with the frame sub-assembly, wherein the at least two ground engaging wheels controllably direct displacement of the privacy screen in an arcuate path of travel.
Furthermore, the present invention is directed to an arcuately displaceable privacy screen assembly comprising: (a) a frame sub-assembly, wherein the frame sub-assembly includes first and second substantially vertical frame members and first and second substantially horizontal frame members, wherein both of the first and second substantially horizontal frame members are cambered, and wherein the first and second substantially vertical frame members and the first and second substantially horizontal frame members collectively define an internal aperture, wherein at least a portion of the internal aperture is covered with a privacy screen; (b) at least two ground engaging wheels associated with the frame sub-assembly, wherein the at least two ground engaging wheels controllably direct displacement of the privacy screen in an arcuate path of travel, and wherein one of the at least two ground engaging wheels is fixed in a substantially parallel position relative to a first end of the first substantially horizontal frame member and a second ground engaging wheel is fixed in a substantially parallel position relative to a second end of the first substantially horizontal frame member; (c) at least one handle associated with both the first substantially vertical frame member and the second substantially vertical frame member, wherein the at least one handle is cambered to, in turn, form an ogive with the first substantially horizontal frame member when viewed from a y-axis of the same; and (d) a first stabilizing member associated with the first substantially horizontal frame member and the first substantially vertical frame member and a second stabilizing member associated with the first substantially horizontal frame member and the second substantially vertical frame member.